What is G30, G60 & G90?

'G' refers to ‘game’ and the numbers after refers to the length of the game. For example, a G30 tournament means that each player has 30 minutes on their clock to play (and finish) the game. So the maximum amount of time the game will last will be one hour.

What is a chess clock and do I need one?

A chess clock is used to keep track of the allotted time for a game. In large tournaments, players must have/use them. For smaller tournaments, it is not mandatory. (Chess clocks as well as all other chess equipment can be purchased by clicking HERE)

What do I need to bring to the tournament?

You will need to bring your USCF ID card if you have one. You should also bring paper and pencil to write your games down, a clock if you have one and snacks for the day. Players must arrive no later than 9am. The first round is at 9:30am.

What does ‘EF’ refer to?

EF is an abbreviation for Entry Fee.

How do I know the amount of trophies being given?

Usually, a tournament listing will have the word ’Trophies’ with the sections and sub-sections listed after. For small, local tournaments, 1^st through 5^th place is given, unless otherwise stated.

What is the difference between Open and Reserve?

Open is the upper section and Reserve is the lower section. Sometimes tournament organizers divide sections if they are 1.) Too large, or 2.) The organizer wants to give the players more of an opportunity to play against players of their own level and/or to win trophies. By subdividing the sections, the players are grouped with players more along the lines of their ability. This gives out more trophies to more players as well as matches the players up more equally. Tournaments with open and reserve sections are ideal for the beginner player.

What is a USCF ID?

The United States Chess Federation is the national governing body for rated chess tournament play. Membership is required to play in USCF rated tournaments. Membership can usually be obtained at the tournament and costs $13 for ages 14 & under, $20 for ages 15 & up. If you are not a member of the USCF and wish to play in a tournament, simply leave the ID space blank and include a separate check for the amount of membership made out to ‘US Chess Federation’ with your tournament registration.

The following represents the sections which may be at a  tournament: Kindergarten, Primary (1-3rd grades), Elementary (4-5th grades), MSHS (6-12th grades). If you are a beginner, you will want to play in the lowest section possible. For example if you are a beginner player in Kindergarten, and there is a Kindergarten section offered at the tournament, you definitely want to play in the Kindergarten section because you will only face other Kindergartners, who are most likely beginners as well. However, if you are an experienced Kindergartner (and believe me – they exist!) you may choose to ‘play up’ in the Primary section where you will face the Primary (1^st through 3^rd grades) players. In addition, any section may have an Open & Reserve section. If you are a beginner player, you will want to play in the Reserve (lower) section. And if you are an experienced player you can either stay in the Open section or you may choose play up in a completely different section. There are 2 catches: One is that you cannot ‘play down’. In other words, a primary player could not play in the Kindergarten section. And two is that the Open and Reserve sections are divided by rating. Primary is usually divided at the rating of 700, Elementary at 800. So, if you are in 2^nd grade, rated 750 and you want to play in the Primary Reserve section, you cannot. You must play in either the Primary Open section or any other higher section.

After you play in your first tournament you will get a rating which is based on the amount of games you won/lost and the rating of the opponents you won/lost to. Usually, it takes a few weeks for the USCF to calculate and publish your rating. With this first tournament you play, you will also be assigned a USCF ID number, which also takes about the same amount of time to be published.

What is a Bye and how/why to I get one?

A bye means that a player gets one point or one half point without playing his/her game. There are two situations in which a player will receive a bye. The first is that if their is an odd number of players within a section at a tournament, the pairing software used to run the tournament will randomly choose a player to receive a full point bye. This means that the player has received one full point, which is equal to a win, without playing the game. The second situation is if a player requests a bye for a certain round. When the player requests the bye however, the player only receives a one half point bye, which is equal to a draw, without playing his/her game. Players request byes for a number of reasons -- namely basketball or baseball games in the middle of the day that they need to attend.